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Ukraine Drone Threats Forced Russia to Close Over 30 Airports in Summer 2025, Study Finds
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In the summer of 2025, Russia was forced to repeatedly close the airspace over its airports due to the threat of Ukrainian drone strikes.
The findings come from research conducted by InformNapalm volunteer Alex Alexidze together with analysts from the Prometheus Center for Security Environment Research.
According to the study, unveiled on September 19, from June to August, restrictions were announced almost daily across different regions of Russia, causing mass flight delays and chaos in civil aviation. Although Ukrainian drones did not directly target civilian airports, their presence forced Russian authorities to suspend operations, creating a collapse in passenger air travel.
The disruptions were felt most acutely during the summer holiday season, when demand for air travel was at its peak. Airports in Kaluga, Volgograd, Voronezh, St. Petersburg, Moscow, and many other cities were among those most frequently affected, with more than 30 airports across Russia reporting regular operational interruptions.
Researchers emphasized that this trend is a clear marker of how deeply the war has penetrated Russia’s rear, generating a constant sense of uncertainty even in the civilian sector.
Earlier, the governor of Russia’s Belgorod region acknowledged that the country’s air-defense systems cannot stop Ukrainian drones at the border, enabling them to penetrate deep into Russian territory and inflict damage.
